Vanilla Chainsaws Recalls Sydney's Halcyon Days

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Vanilla Chainsaws head a line-up that recalls Sydney's Halcyon Days. Echoes of Sydney's teeming underground rock scene of the 1980s will ring through the inner-west with a spectacular four-band bill at the Bald Faced Stag in Leichhardt on January 23.

The Vanilla Chainsaws will play their first show in five years, joined by fellow elder statesmen Young Doctors, powerhouse trio Aberration and punk trailblazer Bob Short.

The Vanilla Chainsaws rocked stages between 1986 and 1995 with a unique blend of pop melodies and energetic rock. Starting in Sydney they shared bills with X, Lime Spiders, Screaming Tribesmen, Japan's Star Club, The Johnnys, Mantissa and Celibate Rifles during a golden age for Australian underground rock.

RAM magazine readers voted them Australia's Best Unrecorded Act of 1986 just four months after forming. They signed to iconic label Phantom Records and had a string of releases that topped the alternative charts.

By late 1987 Phantom was shipping bulk quantities of their records to Europe and this sparked the interest of Germany's Glitterhouse Records. Before long, the Vanilla Chainsaws were stablemates with Soundgarden, Nirvana and a host of bands on the Sub-Pop and Amphetamine Records catalogues. The band based itself in Europe for two years before calling it a day.

The Vanilla Chainsaws reformed for a one-off gig in 2010 and the line-up of Simon Drew, Mark Alexander, Peter Kelly and Mick Hedges are doing it one more time.

Young Docteurs rose from the Canberra punk scene in 1978, moved to Sydney and immediately made an impact with their unique blend of psychedelia and punk. Performing alongside many of the influential bands of the time including New Race, The Stray Cats, The Gun Club, The Birthday Party,the Saints, Scientists and Elvis Costello.

Their distinctive sound drew the attention of peers the Hard-Ons, INXS, The Church, the Sunnyboys, Hellmen and Happy Hate Me Nots who were all fans.The band signed a deal with Festival Records and were courted by LA scenester, Kim Fowley,renowned hustler and former manager of The Runaways.

In 2015, original members Paul Hayward (guitars) and Chris Shakallis (vocals) are joined by rhythm section Darren Spiteri (bass) and drummer Imants Freimanis, the line-up is about to unleash an album, "Beginning at the End".